Eating Smart

NUTRITION GUIDE

Carbohydrates Fibre Protein Cholesterol and Fats Vitamins Minerals Water Benefits of Eating Vegetarian Food Principles of Healthy Eating

Food sustains us. It can be a source of considerable pleasure. It is a reflection of our rich social fabric and cultural heritage. Important festivals and celebrations have their own traditional foods. Food adds valued dimension to our lives. Yet, what we eat may affect our fitness and health.
Some people eat to live. Others live to eat. None of them seem to pay attention to whether they are eating nutritionally balanced food. Considering you are what you eat, here's a who's who of nutrients.

Top of the list are carbohydrates. They include starches, fibre (complex carbohydrates) and sugars (simple carbohydrates). Depending on whether they contain additional useful nutrients or not, carbohydrates are divided into refined and unrefined carbohydrates.
Fruits for instance, contain simple sugars but because they contain other useful nutrients, they are included in unrefined carbohydrates.

When sugar is taken into the body, the need for carbohydrate is met. The very real need for other nutrients, however, goes unmet, as sugar contains no protein, vitamins, minerals, fat or fibre. Sugar consists essentially of "empty calories" and eating refined sugar incurs a "Nutrient debt".
Sugar is metabolized only through the use of all the accessory nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Under the circumstances, the continued consumption of refined sugar can result in the body becoming increasingly deficient in important nutrients.
Without the proper vitamins and minerals to facilitate the metabolism of the sugar and create a desire for exercise, much of the sugar is stored as fat. The result may be a bloated obesity in people who lavish themselves with too many sweets, soft drinks and desserts, incurring nutrient debts they cannot pay off. Nutrient debt, like the national debt can swell out of proportion if not controlled in time!
Don't incur nutrient debts you cannot pay off! Don't bite of more sugar than you can digest! Modern refined foods contain large amounts of sugar, so beware! It may sound contradictory, but obese people may actually be malnourished!

Reducing your sugar intake.

Sugar versus sweeteners

Observe that throughout we have preferred to use a smaller quantity of sugar rather than using artificial sweeteners in an attempt to make the recipe lower in calories. Recent studies do not show an appreciable weight loss in people using artificial sweeteners for dieting. In addition, they are thought to create a craving for more sugar. Using a natural sugar substitute, like fruit or dried fruit purée, satisfies these cravings and helps us to eat more natural foods.

Fibre is the new magic word in nutrition and with good reason! A menu high in fibre is now believed to reduce the risk of diabetes, to lower serum cholesterol, to play a role in the prevention of heart disease and some types of cancer. Fibre helps in the rapid removal of wastes from the intestines. As a bonus, high fibre foods are low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals. They are filling as well as satisfying and don't add to your calorie count.

How to get the most from fibre.

Protein is an indispensable part of the diet involved in the body's vital functions such as growth, maintenance and repair. There is no danger of protein deficiency in a balanced vegetarian diet. Most people eat more protein than they need. There is no organ in the body for storing excess protein. Any surplus is expelled in the urine or converted to fat and stored. In childhood, protein is important for growth but protein requirements decrease with age. Old people and any person with weak kidneys cannot handle excess protein.

Combining foods for protein
In the staple diet of India, the amount of rice served is larger than the amount of dal. Modern science has shown that legumes and dal are deficient in the amino acid, methionine and grains are deficient in lysine. Interestingly enough, lysine is abundant in legumes so that grains and legumes mesh as nutritional complements. For any grains and legume combination, there is a certain proportion which is optimal. Experiments have shown, that the perfect combination is twice the amount of grain to the pulses-and that is how Indians have been eating their rice and dal for centuries! Combining foods like grains and legumes or grains and milk products can provide complete proteins.

Other sources of protein

Nuts contain a large amount of high quality protein and also essential fatty acids. (Contrary to popular opinion, nuts do not contain cholesterol) Unfortunately, nuts are high in calories. A pound of nuts contain as many calories as 7 pounds of potatoes, clearly not a food for dieters! In traditional Indian dishes nuts are used frequently but sparingly.

Seeds like pumpkin, sesame and cucumber are also good sources of protein. Grains too, are more than simple starch. Besides containing vitamins and minerals, they contain a significant amount of protein.

Fats are an essential part of the diet and a good source of energy. They insulate the body and are carriers of fat soluble vitamins. The body stores all extra calories in the form of fat.

Cholesterol is essential to the human body in small amounts for the manufacture of hormones. However, a high level of blood cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels in the blood while unsaturated fats help lower it.

Adopt a diet with total dietary fat intake of less than 30% of total calories, with less than10% calories from saturated fats, limit polyunsaturated fat intake to less than 10% of calories and limit daily cholesterol intake to less than 250 to 300mg.( This does not apply to children under 2 years.)

Choose foods relatively low in fat and cholesterol such as vegetables, fruits, wholegarins and low fat dairy products.

Fat can change in nature when it is heated and so avoid using the same fat repeatedly. Use cooking methods that add little fat to the recipe, like grilling, baking, poaching instead of frying.

Caution! All fats are high in calories. All fats whether from vegetable oil, ghee, butter, animal fat contain the same calories per gram. Fats derived from animal sources such as dairy products, egg yolks and meat contain cholesterol. Fats derived from vegetable sources do not contain cholesterol.

Vitamins and mineral are nutrients vital in small amounts to life and growth. A prolonged shortage of any of these can lead to a deficiency disease. If you eat a balanced diet, you are unlikely to be faced with the danger of vitamin shortage though vegetarians need to be careful about adequate vitamin B12 consumption. Vitamins are destroyed during storing, cooking and processing. Fat- soluble vitamins are more stable than water-soluble vitamins. To get the most from vitamins, eat food as soon as possible after it is picked or bought. Eat whole foods- refined food have fewer vitamins. Keep fruits and vegetables somewhere cool, dark and dry as fat soluble vitamins are sensitive to light. Avoid prolonged soaking of vegetables.

Vitamins and good health.
It is intriguing to discover that tradition all India medical preparations were often concentrated vitamins! A sour walnut - sized fruit called amla contains more Vitamin C than half a dozen oranges! Amla is widely used for revitalizing and rejuvenating and in healing medication for many illnesses!

Sprouting increases the vitamin content of the grain or legume. The Hunza tribe of the Himalayas known for their robust good health includes large amounts of sprouts in their diet! Given below are the complete list of important vitamins and their functions.

Minerals must be correctly balanced in the body to work efficiently. Minerals can be destroyed by many factors e.g. smoking and caffeine. Vitamin C increases iron absorption while tea reduces it. Drinking tea after or before meals will reduce the iron absorption in the body. Try not to drink your coffee or tea just after your meal. A complete list of minerals and their functions are given below.

The human body is about 60% water. Of all the essential nutrients, water is the most critical as it is used for every body function. Since water has no calories, it is advantageous for the dieter. Foods such as cucumber, lettuce and watermelon are high in water and therefore low in calories and quite filling. About 6-8 glasses of water should be consumed daily.

Apart from these seven nutrients, there are several other important aspects for healthy eating.

Alternative seasoning
Many of us add salt to food without even tasting it first. People consume many processed and preserved foods to which salt has been added. There is a link between high salt intake and high blood pressure, a condition which can lead to an increased risk of hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. The simplest way to reduce salt consumption is to stop adding salt to food at the table and to use as little as possible in cooking. Experiment instead with various herbs, spices and other flavourings so your food is flavourful enough and you do not miss the taste of salt.

Cooking with spices
The exact blend of spices and herbs and how they are combined in India cooking is a fine art. Spices like cumin, turmeric and coriander are used primarily for their ability to promote digestion, promote flavour and enhance taste. Herbs and spices do not contain large amounts of sodium. Adding herbs and spices will actually reduce the amount of sodium you need to add to the food while adding flavour to the recipe!

Useful salt substitutes
Use herbs like tulsi leaves, curry powder, oregano, chilli powder, dill, caraway seed, cloves, coriander seed, cumin seed, ginger, mustard powder, pepper, sesame seed (each contain less than 2 mg of sodium per teaspoon); lemon juice, garlic, pepper, orange rind which cut down the desire for salt.

Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, which are high in potassium, as it seems to counteract the effects of sodium. Try our recipes for Natural Salt Substitutes, which are very low in sodium.

Eat slowly
When we gulp down food, only strong flavours such as saltiness or sweetness are experienced. The more subtle flavours are missed and we don't allow our taste buds to tell us what is good or bad for us. Most processed foods are designed to appeal to the tastebuds with obvious strong flavours such as salt, sugar and additives. Their real appearance and flavour are disguised by a variety of chemicals.

Eat less refined foods.
You could be a vegetarian yet still be eating unhealthily simply because you are consuming too many over processed and refined foods. In creating these convenience foods, the fact that we are losing valuable nutrients in the process has been often ignored. White flour, for instance, loses upto 80% of its vitamins and minerals in the refining process.

Learning from our history.
In 1916, when the Third Indian Division was besieged by the Turks, Indian troops ate wholewheat chapatties and remained well, but British troops who subsisted on white bread, fell prey to beri -beri and other illnesses. History is replete with such examples. However, failing to learn the lessons of history we still continue to have more refined foods.

Changing back to nature
First and foremost, the foods we eat should be as near the natural state as possible. They should be free of unnecessary chemicals in preserving, preparation and storage. The best anti - ageing pill is to eat less altogether and more lightly at each sitting, following the natural need of our bodies.

A word about fasting
In the ancient Asian tradition, fasting is termed a process of "Making one lighter". When properly done, it is a process of revitalisation. This meant that one should be offered all the most nutritious aspects of the best quality of foods. The ideal technique for successful fasting is the use of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables or their juices. On such a diet, the full spectrum of nutrients is supplied in an easily assimilated form, so the digestive tract can remain essentially at rest. Try this when you've had a particularly heavy meal (don't we all!) or over eaten at a celebration!

Try carrot or celery juice supplemented with cucumber or spinach juice. Fresh apple, pineapple, black and green grape, mango juice are also popular. Although fresh sugar cane juice contains sugar, there is something in the fresh juice which does not cause dental decay! Eating refined sugar causes dental cavities. Try different combinations of fruit juices and spice them up with ginger or lemon juice.

Healthy eating is based on three simple principles --- balance, moderation and variety. Each of the foods listed above have a specific role in your health. That's why we should aim for a balanced diet, eating too much of one or not enough of another is not good for you and may result in ill health. Some of the important recommendations are summarized below.

Summary of nutritional recommendations